ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The prime minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, said today that his country, one of the poorest in the world, could not afford to keep its troops in neighboring Somalia much longer, and that Somalia's stability depended on the quick injection of foreign peacekeepers.

In a speech to parliament, in which his tone alternated between humble and triumphant, Mr. Meles said that Ethiopia had accomplished its mission to wipe out Somalia's Islamist forces, which just two weeks ago controlled a large chunk of the country and were regarded as a regional menace.

"We will now leave as soon as possible - it could be weeks, it could be months," he said. "We don't have the money to take this burden individually."Mr. Meles said his soldiers were not peacekeepers. They already seem to be paying the price for stepping in to Somalia's messy, violent internal politics.

Several residents in Jilib, a town in southern Somalia, said today that two Ethiopian soldiers were killed there in an ambush.

Diplomats in the region are now hurrying to cobble together an African peacekeeping force to take the place of the Ethiopian forces. But despite murmurs of commitment from several countries, including Uganda, South Africa and Nigeria, no force has yet materialized.

Somalia is far from stable now, with many heavy weapons still in the hands of warlords and anti-government forces, and the country's reliable level of turmoil is likely to dissuade many nations from volunteering to send troops.

Ali Mohammed Gedi, Somalia's transitional prime minister, repeated his plea today for all weapons to be turned in to his government, but it seemed that very few people were heeding him. The collection points set up across Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, remained empty, and many young men in the city vowed to keep their guns.

Meanwhile, Islamist fighters continued to flee south from Kismayo, the port city near the Kenyan border that had been their last stronghold before Monday, when the Islamist movement collapsed and its remaining followers scattered into the marshy coastland.

Kenyan authorities said that 10 fighters were apprehended on Monday trying to slip across the border into Kenya disguised as refugees. Eight had Eritrean passports, while two had Canadian passports, said Alfred Mutua, a spokesman for the Kenyan government; all 10 were carrying briefcases packed with cash.

You are already subscribed to this email.

Mr. Mutua said the 10 suspects remained in Kenyan custody, and most likely would be returned to Somalia to face charges under the transitional government. But that government has yet to set up a justice system.

The Islamists had tried to improve their military prospects by calling for a jihad against Ethiopia, a country with a long Christian history, and by opening Somalia's doors to foreign fighters. United Nations intelligence officials estimated that several thousand fighters traveled to Somalia from Pakistan, Libya, Syria and Yemen, as well as from Eritrea, Ethiopia's arch-enemy.

American officials said that far fewer answered the call, but that their ranks included several wanted terrorists whom the United States was eager to capture.

In recent days, ships from the United States Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, have increased patrols off Somalia's coast to prevent any suspects from escaping.

"We want to deter terrorists from using the sea for illegal activity," said Lt. Denise Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Fifth Fleet.

So far, though, no suspects have been apprehended.

Somalia continues to be a work in progress. The country's transitional president has yet to set foot in the capital; only a handful of officials have gone to Mogadishu so far.

That said, though, normal life - or whatever passes for normal in a country that hasn't had a central government for 15 years - has begun to creep back to Somalia. Mr. Gedi, the transitional prime minister, announced today that the main international airport has been re-opened, though no major airlines have resumed flying there. The airport was strafed by Ethiopian jets last week.